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Teke Turkomen Silver Ornament browse these categories for related items... All Items: Archives:Regional Art:Middle Eastern: Pre 1920: item # 385938 Please refer to our stock # 61-12 when inquiring.
Silk Road Gallery PO Box 2175 Branford, Connecticut 06405, USA (203) 208-0771 Guest Book SOLD |
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| Each tribe of the Turkomen people developed its own distinctive designs for the heavy silver jewelry worn by most of the Central Asian nomadic groups. This heart-shaped piece, from the Teke subtribe, was an important part of their culture. Called an asyk, the gilded and incised heart was presented to a bride by the groom's parents. She wore it on the back of her head or on a braid throughout most of her life, taking it off, along with her other silver jewelry, when she became an elderly matriarch. Sometimes the piece was designed as a double heart but the heart shape was traditional and generally was gilded, incised and set with a carnelian just as this one from the early 20th century. (See a photograph of three similar Teke asyks in "The Arts and Crafts of Turkestan" by Johannes Kalter, Thames and Hudson, London, 1983, p. 116.) The Teke were particularly fond of dorsal jewelry and also wore an assortment of silver pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings. This piece, in excellent condition, has been fitted with a leather cord so it can be worn as a pendant. It measures 3-3/4" (9 cm)in height and 2-3/4" (7 cm) wide. | |||||||
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